When American Travis Kauffman meets heavyweight contender Otto Wallin at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut on August 15, late trainer Naazim Richardson will be foremost in his thoughts.
The greatly respected Richardson was hospitalised throughout 2020 after suffering another stroke late last year before passing away, aged 55, last month. The boxing world mourned but Richardson’s tragic passing hit Kauffman harder than most.
The Reading, Pennsylvania, heavyweight had tried to visit the hospitalised Richardson but was turned away due to Covid-19 restrictions. He broke down in tears when he heard the tragic news.
“This is my first training camp in seven years without Brother Naazim Richardson, but I know that he wouldn’t want me to leave camp and he’d want me to stay focused,” said Kauffman (32-3, 23 KOs).
“Having him pass away while I was in camp was one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with, but there’s adversity in every camp I’ve had. I wouldn’t feel right if there wasn’t adversity to overcome.
“My father, Marshall, stepped back in as my head trainer. We know we’re facing a young, hungry fighter [in Wallin], but I have more experience than him and I don’t think he can last 10 rounds with me when I’m at 100% like I’ll be on August 15.”
Swede Wallin (20-1, 13 KOs) returns for the first time since his bloody bout with Tyson Fury (L12) in September 2019, where he opened up a grisly cut over the champion’s right eye with a legal blow that almost ended the fight and handed him an unlikely victory.
“I’m very happy to finally be back in the ring,” said Wallin. “It’s been a long and crazy year in many ways and it feels great to be getting ready to step back into the ring. I’ve been training steady since the Fury fight and I feel like I’ve developed my game in a lot of ways.
“Kauffman is a tough veteran that can both come forward or box if he wants to. He’s a fan-friendly fighter and I have to be ready at all times. We have a great gameplan as always and I’m in excellent shape. I know I have all the tools to beat Kauffman.”
Kauffman vs Wallin will be broadcast live on Showtime in the US on the undercard of WBC 168lbs champion David Benavidez’s defence against Roamer Alexis Angulo.